Nantes, France

Week 2- la pluie

When I look back at this week I think of rain (la pluie). It’s been cold and rainy, with moments of sunshine, ALL WEEK! I have been well equipped with my umbrella but I only brought one sweater with me so I have been adversely dressed a couple of days this week. It’s supposed to be warm tomorrow (with rain) but I can feel the summer weather coming…

Friday morning I could not get out of bed so I didn’t end up getting to walk around Rue Cler before class but since it was raining/storming all day I decided to meet up with my friend Indra after class and we went to Galeries Lafayettes. OMG it is probably the best place on Earth. I love Neimans but this is like the Parisian’s version of Neimans. Jimmy Choo, Prada, Gucci, MiuMiu etc. It was wonderful. But sad since I couldn’t buy anything. I plan on going back there with the parentals and perhaps making a purchase. I definately have to go back for the Champagne bar and to buy some macaroons!
We left Galeries Lafayettes to meet up with friends Becca and Jessica near the Pompidou Centre for dinner and to see the movie Paris After Midnight. Dinner was really good and we had such a great view of the Pompidou esplanade. The movie was amazing! At first I was a little weary to see a movie while I’m in Paris but I’m so glad I did. It was so cool to see all the monuments and scenary on screen that I see everyday! Plus Woody Allen is amazing and the movie was really, really good!
Walking back from the movie theater was also the first time I saw the Gens D’armes (police officers that carry giant guns).

Saturday Indra and took a trip to l’Hôtel des Invalides which was originally built as a hospital and retirement home for war verterans. Part of it is prohibited from the public and still used for its original purposes but it now houses several museums and most notably, Napoleon Bonaparte’s tomb, as well as, several tombs of his family members/generals that fought beside him, and vaults of several other soldiers. I do have to say it’s a bit disconcerting being in there with all the tombs and vaults but it was worth seeing (plus it was free with my student ID card…the French govt is good to students going to museums) and the architecture of the building, the dome, and the church is just incredible. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see the inside of the chapel because there was a wedding going on (we tried to get a look to see if it is was someone special, considering they’re shutting down part of the monument and the gens d’armes were everywhere but we didn’t). The dome in which Napoleon’s tomb is housed is incredible. The ceiling has such exquiste paintings and there is such a mark of grandiosity inside the dome. As you go down to where Napoleon’s tomb is kept, two giant Jesus-like statues “guard” the entrance.

After Napoleon’s Tomb we went to the Musée l’Armée which houses armour/army uniforms/pretty much anything related to war. What I found the most interesting was the World War I and World War II exhibits. It was heavy stuff but I learned a lot.

In the evening, Indra, Becca, Jess, Yasha, and I had reservations at Buddha Bar in La Place de la Concorde near the Champs-Élysées. It was very yummy but deff a place to go for the ambiance rather than the food.

After dinner we decided to walk to the Eiffel Tower to see it sparkle like it does every hour and in honor of Paris After Midnight. It was a long walk, especially for those of us wearing heels, and we saw some sketchy people but we made to the tower just in time for the sparkle!

Sunday I woke up super late and the plan was for a group of us to go to the Catacombs (more dead people…eek!) but everyone kinda slept in or planned other things so Indra and I decided to go to Shakespeare and Company, right across from Notre Dame, and have dinner in that area. I LOVE THAT STORE. It was originally started to house ExPat writers, which it still does, and they sell used and new English books. I couldn’t decide what I wanted to buy and I really just want to spend a day there so I plan on going back. We had dinner right next door at Le Petit Chatalet which was a cozy restaurant with a chiminea.
Sunday night we hung out some of the French kids who live in the residence with us and got to practice some French!